Sage Therapeutics surges on postpartum depression drug study

A drug to treat severe postpartum depression showed positive results in a mid-stage study, sending shares developer Sage Therapeutics skyrocketing Tuesday.

There are no that specifically treat a type of depression that, according to the American Psychological Association, afflicts up to one in seven women who give birth.

The Sage was given to 10 patients and 11 others received a placebo. The company says that 60 hours after treatment, the women who took its drug had a significant reduction in their scores on a survey that is used to measure levels of depression. The patients who got the drug also had lower reading at the end of the 30-day study.

All of the patients in the study had had a child less than six months earlier, and they had suffered at least one episode of late in pregnancy or within a month of giving birth.

Postpartum depression includes feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety and exhaustion that can make it hard for new mothers to care for themselves or others, according to The National Institutes of Mental Health

Seven of the 10 patients who got the drug from Sage were in remission from their at 60 hours, according to the company. That compares with only one of the 11 placebo patients.

Sage Therapeutics doesn't have any drugs on the market. The drug in its most recent study is called SAGE-547, and Sage is conducting late-stage tests of the same drug as a treatment for a rare seizure disorder. It's further away from approval as a treatment for . SAGE-547 is given intravenously and the Cambridge, Massachusetts, company said Tuesday that it will speed up work on an oral version of the drug.

Shares of Sage Therapeutics jumped almost 40 percent, or $12.87, to $46.42 in early trading.

© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: Sage Therapeutics surges on postpartum depression drug study (2016, July 12) retrieved 28 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-07-sage-therapeutics-surges-postpartum-depression.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Postpartum depression least severe form of depression in mothers

2 shares

Feedback to editors